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House rules prevent machine vote on adjournment; Speaker rules request out of order
Summary
A request for a machine vote on an adjournment motion prompted a procedural dispute on Jan. 27, 2026; the Speaker and parliamentarian said House rules do not allow machine votes on motions to adjourn, and the House proceeded to observe memorials and adjourn.
A procedural dispute arose in the Rhode Island House on Jan. 27, 2026, after a motion to adjourn in memory of two individuals and a request from a House leader for a machine vote on that motion.
Leader Chippendale requested a machine vote, saying, “I request the machine vote on this motion, speaker” (recorded on the floor). The Speaker and the parliamentarian replied that House rules do not permit a machine vote on motions to adjourn and that the chamber has not conducted such votes on adjournment motions. The Speaker stated that an adjournment in memory is not a resolution subject to a machine vote and that members may choose whether to stand for the moment of silence. An objection was raised from the floor, and leadership and the Speaker exchanged brief back-and-forth remarks before the Speaker ruled the request out of order.
Whip Kazarian was recorded seconding an adjournment motion in memory of Pamela Rotella and Alex Petty (referred to on the floor). After the ruling, the House observed a moment of silence and the Speaker adjourned the session; the desk remained open for business to be transmitted as required.
The session did not result in a recorded tally for the adjournment motion because the House did not permit a machine vote on such motions under its cited rules.
